What better way to help celebrate four decades of responsible business than to partner up with another principled company to produce a premium organic beer?

In celebration of Patagonia‘s 40th Anniversary, and their longtime commitment to purchasing organic cotton for their clothing lines, New Belgium Brewery produced a special run of an organic beer, dubbed California Route Organic Lager.

The name of this beverage honors the classic California Route on Patagonia’s Mount Fitz Roy, first climbed by some of the climbing legends of yesteryear, Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Dick Dorworth, Lito Tejada-Flores and Chris Jones, back in 1968. The lager itself is styled a “California Common” brew, with a tawny color and medium body, embodying a “malty character and earthy hops” flavor.

The choice of New Belgium as the brewer for this celebratory beer is fitting, as the company also happens to have strong responsible business practices:

“The nation’s first brewery to incorporate wind power for electricity, New Belgium Brewing is also the first brewery to join 1% For The Planet, an organization co-founded by Patagonia that connects businesses, consumers and nonprofits through environmental philanthropy. New Belgium is the third-largest craft brewer in the United States and is recognized for its environmental commitment as well as its progressive business practices. New Belgium has developed a set of interwoven programs that include employee ownership, open book management, high involvement culture and, of course, drinking good beer together.”

You probably won’t find this limited edition beer in your neighborhood liquor store, but if you’re lucky, you may run across a 6-pack of it somewhere in the vicinity of your local Patagonia Retail Store.

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About the Author

Derek Markham lives in southwestern New Mexico and digs bicycles, simple living, organic gardening, sustainable lifestyle design, slacklining, bouldering, and permaculture. He loves good food, with fresh roasted chiles at the top of his list of favorites. Catch up with Derek on Twitter, RebelMouse, Google+, or at his natural parenting site, Natural Papa!